Cool Business School

It's a movement. People connected by passion for business knowledge, theories, startups, management, visions, perceptions, paradigms!It has no location but travels the country. Europe. The world?We can all be teachers, lecturers, professors, students. You like?

Two researchers of the TU Delft recently discovered that a flexible "employee market", like America and Canada have, where it's easy to fire people, isn't good for economic growth. The current ideas are that you will sooner hire someone if it's easier to fire them again and because of that, your company will grow faster.

However, this study shows that countries with lots of employee protection sustain a larger growth then those who do not. There are two reasons for this.1) Employees are more eager to share knowledge when they have job security.2) You need less managers to keep them in line (about 50% less).

I still wonder how the research can have these results, looking at the economic growth of the USA and Canada vs Europe. The idea however is... Interesting.

Hi all, it has been a little quit here lately, due to all our and no doubt your bizzy schedules: all economics are go!... finally. But we're still alive and kicking! Lot's of work is done behind the scenes: the Ideabroker Cool! event (date TBA), partnerships with publishers, investment funds, and other innovative organizations are in the making, and our legal dept. is up and running.

We didn't forget our events too: next up is our third @ Sogyo in Utrecht in a BBQ setting (weather providing) followed @ 21th of June in Breda @ Syntens (masterminded by our man from the deep south Bas van Haterd)

Entrepreneurs who wanna do a 555 pitch in May in Utrecht: please send your application and higlevel BP or .ppt to info@ideabroker.nl before the 15th of May.

VoiSec developed by Swedish company Libego is a button for recording, storing and playing short spoken messages. This "talking Post-It" has been designed for the visually impaired, dyslectics or for anyone having difficulties with text. But i can see much more fun applications too... anyone?

Modern urban experience is built on window shopping. But window displays are brighthy lit, temporary graveyards of immovable goods without interactivity. The Interactive window offers a difference. It invites window shoppers to interact with a virtual person in the window by mobile phone. A projection of a model in real lifesize. Hundreds of video sequences are used to make the model appear alive. If a viewer passes a movement sensor, a video sequence is played getting the viewers' attention by using voice sound, gestures or signs and he or she is encouraged to interact via mobile phone. The virtual model is answering and asking viewers what they would like to see. Options may be: "press 1 for music, press 2 for clothes etc. Combining video content with direct interaction via mobile devices in public can also be applied to outside marketing contexts in artistic exhibitons, entertainment or information services! Done by new kids on the block: tv-animation.com

CNV, the Netherlands second biggest union, shows realism. "There are some sectors that actually have no future in the Netherlands". Specially in the wood and building industries. We should accept that these sectors are doomed in this country and move on. This is the attitude that makes innovation in these sectors possible. Maybe it's not the most sexy sector, but who knows, Nokia (world leader in mobile phones) was once a forestry company and DSM (now a leader in bio-tech) was a mining operation.

Are there too little good bèta students and engineers in The Netherlands, or not? This article shows that it's doubtful. On the one hand, everybody complains. On the other hand... The pay sucks and hasn't gone up.

Technical innovation is done by good bèta's. However, maybe we have enough bèta's, just not enough excellent ones... So maybe the problem lies in the type of students, not the numbers. Just my two cents.

The IMF stated that the Dutch laws on the subject of laying off people are a menace to the innovative power. The Dutch innovation platform should put this on their agenda. It's not the first time this has been said, and it's pretty much stating the obvious, but who dares to carry this one?

Ideabroker take over bid

Thanks to all of you who replied, for your warm reactions to our press release yesterday! We wish we would be able to except all of your congratulations, but sadly we can't, because we didn't release the statement today nor on the day before yesterday, but instead yesterday: yes...April Fool's day.. You've been had, i'm afraid. But we are sorry!

Ideabroker.nl taken over by French Investment Fund

Press release:

Amsterdam, 1 April 2005- Ideabroker.nl today announced that innovation and pre-seed site Ideabroker.nl is taken over by a French investment fund. Exactly which fund, is not yet released. Ideabroker released a press statement earlier today in which both a French and an American bank where mentioned as backers behind the French fund that’s looking to roll out its investment activities all over Europe. How much money is involved with the deal is not known yet, but rumor has it that it’s at least a couple of million Euros worth

The French Investment fund will setup local Ideabroker sites all over Europe in order to scout for and acquire new and innovative business ideas throughout Europe for their investment portfolio.Ideabroker sites will be implemented this year in France, Spain, Germany, Sweden and the UK. Targeted will be innovative and freshly graduated or young entrepreneurs who will be helped and coached by local seasoned entrepreneurs with money from the French Fund behind Ideabroker. Later in the year other countries will follow suit like; Russia, Estonia, Poland, and Romania.

Jan Karel Kleijn together with Bram Alkema, Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten and Bob Stumpel founders of Ideabroker.nl met the CEO of the French Investment fund and one of the backers in St Tropez in a famous nightclub. They were charmed by the Ideabroker concept and the attention and results it has had sofar and decided on the spot to come up with a takeover bid. Kleijn has been spending the past weeks finalizing the deal in Southern France.

Unknown is yet, who will be running Ideabroker and if the founders will be kept involved.Ideabroker expects to be able to release the name of the fund and both banks on May 1st

About Ideabroker:Ideabroker is an initiative of four Dutch Internet entrepreneurs, Jan Karel Kleijn, Bram Alkema, Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten and Bob StumpelIdeabroker.nl is an independent virtual idea bank who wants to create momentum for effective idea, product and business development. Ideabroker made the press worldwide with their SMS donation idea for emergency relief on boxing day 2004 regarding the Tsunami in Asia. Since then their idea was implemented in most European countries, the US, UK and in Asia and has fetched over 20 million in aid.

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